Improvement in harness-saddle trees



X J. L. SCHOLL.

. HARNESS SADDLE-TREES.

No 195,848 Patented 0ct.2,1877

Witnesses Inventor N4FETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, a CV UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. SOHOLL, OF BURLINGTON, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARNESS-SADDLE TREES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,848, dated October 2, 1877 application filed July 11, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN L. SGHOLL, of Burlington, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Saddle-Trees for Harness, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to improvements in harness-trees that may be adapted to fit the backs of variously formed and sized horses and, furthermore, will admit of the several parts of the harness being separately made and secured to 1 the pad-plates, and subsequently put together.

My invention consists in hinging the pad plates to the center or saddle plate, and connecting them by a spring check-plate and setscrew, in such manner that the pad-plates will have but a limited movement, which movement is capable of adjustment.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device when the several parts are connected together; Fig. 2, a vertical transverse section in the line w w of Fig. 1; and Fig. 8, a perspective view of one of the pad-plates, detached.

The pad-plates A A are shaped, in the usual manner, to approximately conform to the shape of the pads that fit the horses back, and are attached to them in the usual way.

The pad-plates have their upper or joining ends a a formed with the tenoned portion of a hinge-joint, and fit into the mortised or female portions of the center or saddle plate B, forming a hinged joint, the three pieces being held together by pins that pass through the ears of the hinge and complete the connection.

The tenoned portion of the pad-plate is provided with a lip, b, (shown in Figs. 3 and 2,) that projects under the center-plate B, and rests in a recess formed therein, in such manner that the pad-plates can have but limited inward movement, and thus prevent the horses back from being pinched or clamped too tightly.

The bottom of the mortise in the center-plate I B is beveled in such manner, as shown in Fig. 2, to leave a triangular space, 11, between the end of the tenon on the pad-plates A and the bottom of the mortise in the center-plate.

A spring check-plate, G, fits into a recess, and is secured at one end to the pad-plate A by the terret-bolts, and its free end is formed with a nib, c, that takes into the triangular space I), and abuts against the beveled face of the bottom of the mortise of the center-plate, in such manner that it serves as a stop or check to prevent the pad-plates from being swung too far outward.

The plates 0, being of spring steel, will serve to keep the pad-plates closely pressed to the horses back, while they will yield sufficiently to prevent the back from being injured by sudden jerks or strains upon the harness.

The check-plate O is held down to its place at the free end and is limited in its movement by a set-screw, D, that passes through it and screws into the pad-plate A, in such manner that, by screwing down upon the check-plate O, the outward movement of the pad-plate is decreased, or a reverse movement will cause an opposite result.

By this arrangement the tree may be adjusted positively to be adapted to or fit any desired size or shape of a horses back, so that the same harness may be adjusted to fit any horse.

The advantage of a closely-fitting harnesstree is obvious, first, as to appearance, and then as to protection against injury to the animal.

The center-plate B is provided with a bolthole, (1, for attaching the check-rein hook or saddle-piece, and also a loop, B, to which the crupper-strap may be attached.

The pads and skirting may besecured to the pad-plates A A, in the usual way, by the hook-terrets and pad-screws.

By uniting the several parts of the tree in the manner shown, either side of the harness may be separately made or taken apart for re pairs, and any one portion of the tree may be replaced when broken.

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. Asaddletree formed of three parts hinged together, and provided with spring-plates, sub stantially as described.

2. In a saddle-tree, the combination of the center-plate, the pad-plate, the checklates, and the set-screws for adjusting the parts, substantially as described.

J. L. SCHOLL.

Witnesses J. H. BREMMERMAN, F. LINDSTADT. 

